The American mediator in the Israeli-Lebanese talks on the demarcation of their maritime border said that if no agreement is reached in the coming months, he will stop his participation in the talks, the Walla news site reported Sunday night.
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Citing senior Israeli sources, the report said that Amos Hochstein, who visited Israel on Sunday, believed that the window of opportunity to reach an agreement would close on the eve of the Lebanese elections scheduled for March 2022.
After visiting Lebanon 10 days ago, Hochstein met with Energy Minister Karin Elharrar, as well as several officials from the Energy, Foreign and Defense ministries.
An Israeli official said that Hochstein made it clear that he would not renew the direct talks held, and broken off, earlier this year.
"If in a few months he sees that the parties are not getting closer to an agreement, he will drop the issue," the source said.
Technically in a state of war, the two neighbors had begun indirect talks through the UN and the United States in October 2020, but the process has repeatedly failed.
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The negotiations remain tinged with uncertainty: the size of the disputed area continues to be a major stumbling block.
Negotiations initially focused on an area of 332 square miles, according to a map registered with the UN by Lebanon in 2011, which is now considered erroneous by Beirut, which claims an additional area of 552 square miles, including part of the Karish gas field, already entrusted by Israel to a Greek company.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
